. >>> lawmakers are taking us right up to the edge of the fiscal cliff. just two more days to go before tacks go up for all americans. will the president's pressure on congress in the last 24 hours bring a deal? john carl has some answers. reporter: with just three days left, finally a imlimmer of hope. >> i'm hopeful and optimistic. >> it's going to be imperfect and people aren't going to like it. >> right now it's in the hands of the two senate leaders pgz democrat harry reid and republican mitch mcconnell. they're working on a minideal that would preinvestigate a tax increase for roughly 98 of american workers, and extend unemployment benefits set to expire for two million people, and cut payments in medicare doctors. >> the american people are watching what we do here. obviously their patience is already thin. this is deja vu all over again. >> the 11th hour evident comes after the president met with the congressional leadership at thh. his first such meeting in six weeks. even if mcconnell and reid come to agreement, there's no guarantee it will pass